Across Europe, electronic invoicing is quickly moving from a digital convenience to a regulatory requirement. Many EU countries already require structured e-invoices for Business-to-Government (B2G) transactions, and several are gradually extending these mandates to B2B transactions as well.
Standards such as EN 16931 define the common European data model for electronic invoices. Across different countries and platforms, this model is implemented through various formats and specifications — including examples like XRechnung, Factur-X / ZUGFeRD, or interoperability frameworks such as Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 UBL.
For developers, implementing these standards manually can be complex. Each format requires working with strict XML schemas, validation rules, and sometimes hybrid document structures. For many teams, this turns e-invoicing into a significant implementation challenge.
At PDF Generator API, we built an E-Invoice API that removes this complexity by allowing developers to generate compliant invoices directly from simple JSON data.
E-Invoicing Standards Across Europe
While EN 16931 defines a common data model, e-invoicing across Europe is implemented through a variety of country-specific approaches.
In practice, companies operating internationally need to adapt to different formats and requirements depending on the market. Some of the most common examples include:
| Country | Common E-Invoicing Format |
| Belgium | Peppol BIS 3.0 |
| Czech Republic | ISDOC |
| France | Factur-X |
| Germany | XRechnung, ZUGFeRD |
| Poland | KSeF |
Supporting multiple formats often means dealing with different schemas, validation rules, and integration approaches — which can quickly become complex for development teams.
E-Invoice Generation with PDF Generator API
Instead of building custom implementations for every invoice format, PDF Generator API acts as a compliance layer that converts structured JSON input into electronic invoices aligned with EN 16931 and compatible with interoperability frameworks such as Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.
With a single integration, developers can generate:
- EN 16931 compliant e-invoices
- UBL or CII structured invoice formats
- XRechnung XML invoices
- Factur-X / ZUGFeRD hybrid invoices
This simplifies e-invoicing by removing the need to manually handle complex UBL/CII schemas, XML validation, and hybrid document requirements, allowing companies to focus on integrating automated invoice workflows.
Built Around Peppol BIS Billing 3.0
PDF Generator API supports invoices following the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 UBL structure, one of the most widely adopted standards for cross-border e-invoicing in Europe.
By providing a JSON payload representing a Peppol invoice, the API automatically transforms it into a fully compliant EN 16931 XML invoice, ready for integration with accounting systems or Peppol-based platforms.
Example request:
curl --request POST \
--url https://us1.pdfgeneratorapi.com/api/v4/einvoice \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer REPLACE_BEARER_TOKEN' \
--header 'content-type: application/json' \
--data '{"data":{},"type":"UBL","output":"base64"}'
Generating XRechnung Invoices
XRechnung is the official e-invoicing format widely used in Germany, suitable for both public sector (B2G) and business-to-business (B2B) transactions.
With PDF Generator API, provide a JSON payload representing your invoice, and the API transforms it into a fully compliant XRechnung XML invoice, supporting UBL or CII syntax. This ensures seamless interoperability across German e-invoicing platforms.
Example request:
curl --request POST \--url https://us1.pdfgeneratorapi.com/api/v4/einvoice/xrechnung \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer REPLACE_BEARER_TOKEN' \
--header 'content-type: application/json' \
--data '{"data":{},"type":"UBL","output":"base64"}'
Generating Hybrid Factur-X / ZUGFeRD Invoices
Factur-X / ZUGFeRD is a hybrid e-invoice format widely adopted in Germany and France, combining a human-readable PDF with an embedded machine-readable XML file for seamless automated processing.
With PDF Generator API, companies can generate these hybrid invoices directly from JSON data and their custom templates, producing PDF/A‑3 documents with fully compliant XML ready for integration with accounting systems or ERP workflows.
Example request:
curl --request POST \
--url https://us1.pdfgeneratorapi.com/api/v4/einvoice/facturx \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer REPLACE_BEARER_TOKEN' \
--header 'content-type: application/json' \
--data '{"template":{"id":"INVOICE_TEMPLATE_ID","data":{}},"profile":"basic","output":"base64","name":"Invoice","metadata":{"author":"Organization name","language":"en"}}'
This approach simplifies hybrid e-invoicing, allowing companies to meet both regulatory requirements and visual presentation needs.
What’s Coming Next
E-invoicing requirements across Europe are evolving rapidly. New regulations and country-specific platforms continue to appear, particularly in the area of real-time reporting and B2B mandates.Our goal is to continue expanding the E-Invoice API with support for additional European formats and interoperability standards, including ISDOC, KSeF, and others. This will make it easier for companies operating across multiple markets to generate fully compliant invoices without building custom implementations for every country.
